Mnemonic Devices: A Unique Learning Technique

Mnemonic devices are the learning techniques to improve short-term or even long-term memory. A memorizing aid, the memory device is used to make memorization very easy and simple. For some people with learning disability, the device not only enables them to study, learn and memorize difficult things but also helps them to remember it for long time. A learning trick - it is easy to remember build ups which can be related to the facts and figures that are to be memorized.

First Letter Mnemonic
This is the simplest and most common learning technique. Here, first letter of the words to be remembered are made into a sentence. For example, HOME for the great lakes like Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. Or if you want to make learning easy, you can also frame it in sentence. If you deal with the operations in Math, the order of operation is very important. Now since the order is parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction, you can remember this order easily just by remembering - Please Excuse My Dear Aunty Sally

Mnemonics for Numerical Sequences
Long and hard-to-remember digits can be best memorized by mnemonic devices. The most common technique is using the number of letters in each word. For example, the first 15 digits of the constant pi, 3.14159265358979 can be decoded as, 'Now I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics'
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Arbitrary Mnemonic
Many a times we tend to remember words or phrases very well despite them being illogical or arbitrary. Arbitrary mnemonics is a great way to facilitate learning process. For example, the phrase ROYGBIV has no meaning but it makes us remember the color sequence of rainbow. Similarly, we can also use illogical name Roy G. Biv to remember the rainbow colors order wise. The logic in arbitrary mnemonics is very simple - A bizarre arbitrary word or phrase sticks in the mind better than a logical one.

Learning Foreign Language
Foreign languages are new and hard to pick up but mnemonic devices work like a magic while learning them and make the process very easy. You can learn the language by adapting the hard to remember foreign word in to a pre-existent phrase in your native language. If you are learning Spanish, estar is the word for, to be. Now to remember the word estar you can easily memorize it as "to be a star". By this way, you can not only remember the word but also the meaning of the word effectively.

Mnemonics for Long-Term Memory
Mnemonic system for long-term memory works on two methods. The first one is loci where the things to be remembered are associated with landmarks or locations whereas the other method is peg-word. In peg-word method, rhyming words are used to enhance the memory. For example the sequence of numbers from 1 to 10 can be remembered as one-bun, two-shoe and so on. All the nursery rhymes are mnemonic devices for long-term memory.
Mnemonic devices ease the process of learning and it makes one learn and remember things for much longer period. An essential learning technique, it makes learning fun!


By Juan Manuel Schukin